Development
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No signs of sweeping WTO reform
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in urgent need of reform. But recent proposals for institutional changes are limited in scope and primarily serve the interests of advanced economies. Developing countries should seize this opportunity to promote their own ideas… Continue reading
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Grundlegende WTO Reform nicht in Sicht
Die Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) muss dringend reformiert werden. Die vorliegenden Reformvorschläge dienen jedoch vor allem den Interessen der Industrieländer. Die Entwicklungsländer sollten gemeinsam eigene Vorschläge in die Debatte einbringen. Continue reading
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Who Supports Continental Integration? Treaty Commitment in the African Union
This posts summarises preliminary results of my analysis of treaty commitments in the African Union. The assessment is part of a research project for the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) that explores the behaviour of authoritarian countries in… Continue reading
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Why Authoritarian Regimes in Africa Commit to Continental Democracy Provisions
In a new draft paper prepared for the 59th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) in San Francisco, we examine why authoritarian regimes in Africa formally support and ratify continental provisions aimed at democracy-promotion. Here’s the abstract. Continue reading
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New Article on the Future of Global Trade
The current issue of Nueva Sociedad contains our new article titled “Malestar en el libre comercio: Un nuevo rol para la OMC“, which was jointly written with Clara Weinhardt. A shorter and more pointed version of our argument in English… Continue reading
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Inclusive and fair trade, not protectionism, will restore trust in global trade
In our most recent comment in International Politics and Society, Clara Weinhardt and I argue that institutional reform at the WTO level and fair distributional policies on the domestic level are crucial to reduce income inequality and restore trust in… Continue reading
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Fair handeln
In vielen afrikanischen Ländern herrscht Armut, ihre Einwohner sehnen sich nach einem besseren Leben – und flüchten. Schaffen neue Handelsabkommen Abhilfe? Gastbeitrag für das Magazin enkelfähig zusammen mit Clara Weinhardt Seit 15 Jahren verhandelt die Europäische Union mit Ländern in… Continue reading
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Global Trends in Regime Development and Democratisation
I recently worked with a few fascinating datasets that describe the transformation and democratisation of national governments over the last decades. Based on this very comprehensive data, this post discusses important trends in global regime development from 1972 to 2015… Continue reading
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An Example of the Successful Use of Export Taxes and Its Value for North-South Trade Negotiations
A recurring problem in the discussion on North-South trade relations is identifying good examples that show how controversial – trade-distorting – policy instruments are successfully used to promote economic development. The search is not a purely academic exercise as the case studies can be used… Continue reading
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External Intervention to Strengthen Democracy in Africa
Although more competitive forms of authoritarianism and electoral democracy are today prevalent in most African countries, democratisation has slowed and in some places reversed. This coincides with an ever-growing rift between African citizens who are demanding further democratic rights and… Continue reading





